Termite of diversity partnner (Blattaria: Isoptera) in Campo Rupestres areas

• Grant number: 23/02454-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: June 01, 2023
• End date: September 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Ecosystems Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Tiago Fernandes Carrijo
• Grantee: Julya Pires Souza
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Naturais e Humanas (CCNH). Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC). Ministério da Educação (Brasil). Santo André , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The Campo Rupestre (CR) is a singular and important environment for conservation concerns, once it has a high, but neglected, biodiversity and endemism. It occurs in mountainous formations with high altitudes and is characterized by the presence of outcrop rocky of quartzite, sandstone or ironstone, and a mosaic vegetation, especially herbaceous-shrub. Termites (Blattaria: Isoptera) are eusocial insects with outstanding presence and ecological significance in tropical soils. Their diversity in the CR, however, still needs to be investigated. In this sense, here we will study the diversity of Isoptera in Campo Rupestre areas of Minas Gerais, Bahia and Goiás states of Brazil, aiming to understand the ecological and evolutionary processes that led to the present termite distribution in these environments. For this, we will investigate the alfa, beta and functional diversity of termite species in the CR and phytophysiographic domains surrounding them.